Modular robotic system and method for sample processing

ABSTRACT

A method of processing objects using a bilateral architecture. The method comprises the steps of: arranging a plurality of instruments around a bi-directional conveyance device, the instruments spaced at fixed pitch intervals along the conveyor device; assigning dedicated movers to each of the instruments, the dedicated movers for loading and unloading of the objects to and from the instruments and the conveyance device; and controlling the operation of the conveyance device to have an interrupted motion, the interrupted motion for co-ordinating the loading and unloading of the objects; wherein the dedicated movers are positioned such that adjacent movers operate independently of one another. The method can be operated on an automated robotic system having a modular architecture. The system comprises; a backbone having a plurality of backbone connectors; a module having a module connector for releasably coupling with a respective one of the backbone connectors; a bi-directional motion device connected to the backbone, the motion device for presenting an object adjacent to the module when the module is coupled to the backbone; a connection interface formable by coupling the backbone and module connectors, the connection interface for providing an operation coupling between the backbone and the module when adjacent thereto; wherein the connection interface provides a repeatable connection and disconnection capability between the backbone and the module for ready reconfiguration of the modular architecture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to automated robotic systems, and inparticular to adaptable processing of samples.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In recent years, researchers are beginning to use robotics andautomation more frequently to address issues such as sample processing,throughput, and reliability of results. Automated sample handling isquickly becoming a necessity due to sterility requirements and desiredcost reductions. Further motivation for automated handling is theintroduction of new technologies, such as miniaturization, higher sampledensity storage, smaller sample volumes, and increased precision to namea few. It is common in industry to use robotic systems with a singlerobotic device to feed multiple workstations in an automated system.However, one disadvantage of these systems is that the sample throughputis rate-limited by the limited ability of the robot when required tofeed multiple workstations.

Recently, a number of dedicated automation systems are addressing thethroughput needs. However, these dedicated systems can be limited intheir adaptability, for example, to new assay requirements. It is commonin the research environment that assay requirements change constantly,thereby making dedicated automation systems become either obsolete afterthe end of a campaign, or require extensive retooling to adjust to thenew assay needs.

A more recent approach of automated systems is to use sequential sampleprocessing devices. These systems can often address the throughputrequirement of an assay and have some flexibility to be adjusted tochanging needs. Nevertheless, in a chemical assay some steps may berepeated several times, meaning that in a sequential approach suchdevices have to be present in multiples, resulting in inefficient use ofthe process devices and unnecessarily high capital investment costs.

For example, automated robotic systems may contain third partyequipment, such pipettors, incubators, readers and other third partyequipment, which may not be built for a 24 hour operation and thereforebe prone to failure. In such a situation, it is critical that aninstrument can be replaced quickly without major intervention of therun.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a robotic modularsystem and method to obviate or mitigate at least some of theabove-presented disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a method ofprocessing objects using a bilateral architecture. The method comprisesthe steps of: arranging a plurality of instruments around abi-directional conveyance device, the instruments spaced at fixed pitchintervals along the conveyance device; assigning dedicated movers toeach of the instruments, the dedicated movers for loading and unloadingof the objects to and from the instruments and the conveyance device;and controlling the operation of the conveyance device to have aninterrupted motion, the interrupted motion for coordinating the loadingand unloading of the objects; wherein the dedicated movers arepositioned such that adjacent movers operate independently of oneanother.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is providedan automated robotic system having a modular architecture. The systemcomprises: a backbone having a plurality of backbone connectors; amodule having a module connector for releasably coupling with arespective one of the backbone connectors; a bi-directional motiondevice connected to the backbone, the motion device for presenting anobject adjacent to the module when the module is coupled to thebackbone; a connection interface formable by coupling the backbone andmodule connectors, the connection interface for providing an operationalcoupling between the backbone and the module when adjacent thereto;wherein the connection interface provides a repeatable connection anddisconnection capability between the backbone and the module for readyreconfiguration of the modular architecture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the preferred embodiments of the inventionwill become more apparent in the following detailed description in whichreference is made to the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a modular sample processing system;

FIG. 2 shows the system of FIG. 1 with dedicated local movers;

FIG. 3 shows a high speed distributed mover array of the system of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 provides a timeline for a single nest-to-nest move of the systemof FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 provides a timeline for a multiple nest-to-nest move of thesystem of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of on belt processing for the system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the system of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an alternative embodiment of the system of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an alternative embodiment of the system of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a modular and extensible conveyer embodiment of the system ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 11 shows an optional section of the conveyer of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 shows a mover controller network setup for the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a further embodiment of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a stacking embodiment of the system of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 shows a further embodiment of the modules of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 shows an interface for the modules of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a perspective top view of a further embodiment of the systemof FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of shims of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a diagram of a distributed control system of the roboticsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is a method of operating the system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 21 is a further embodiment of the system of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a robotic system 10 is shown for processing avariety of samples 12 in a random flow by different process instruments14. The robotic system 10 encompasses a method for processing thesamples 12 using labware such as microtiterplates, filterplates,pipette-tip boxes and the like (not shown). The robotic system 10 has amodular architecture, consisting of a central backbone 18 and anarrangement of detachable modules 16 coupled to the backbone 18. Themodules 16 carry the process instruments 14 for effecting a specificoperation on the samples 12, preferably in sequence. The processinstruments 14 can be mounted on a tabletop 20 of the modules 16,underneath the table 20, or on levels above the tabletop 20 as furtherdescribed below. The structure of the robotic system 10 facilitates theattachment of the modules 16 on both sides of the backbone 18, meaningthat one-sided or double-sided robotic systems 10 can be built.Preferably, the modules 16 represent self-contained processing unitswith instruments 14, and are connectable to the central backbone 18 in amodular and interchangeable fashion.

Referring to FIG. 2, the backbone 18 includes a bi-directionalhigh-speed distributed motion device 19, such as a conveyor, whichserves as a central sample 12 mover. The design of the backbone 18 canbe comprised of coupled modular conveyor components 22, 24, whichprovides for extension of the backbone 18 to accommodate different sizedsample 12 processing sequences. Dedicated resources for loading andunloading (referred to as local movers 26) are mounted on the modules 16or on the backbone 18 to serve each process instrument 14, or group ofinstruments 14 if desired. The design of the bi-directional high-speedmotion device 19 allows multiple samples 12, such as but not limited toplates, to be moved to and from the coupled components 22, 24simultaneously. The process modules 16 may be spaced at a fixed pitchalong the motion device 19 to ease positioning of the processinstruments 14 with respect to the samples 12. The local movers 26 canbe situated on the modules 16 so as to address virtually any laboratoryinstrument 14 directly situated on the respective module 16. Multi-deckpositions on the tables 20 can also be addressed using the local mover26 mounted on a linear slide mechanism 28 (see FIG. 3), which changesthe planar position of the local mover 26 on the table 20 with respectto the respective process instrument 14.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the method steps of processing samples 12 inthe robotic system 10 can be separated into three separate phases:namely a) place the sample 12 on the conveyer 19, where the sample 12 ispicked out of the instrument 14 by the respective local mover 26, moved,and placed on to the conveyer 19; b) convey the sample 12, where theconveyer 19 moves one or more of the contained samples 12 from one setof modules 16 to another set of modules 16; c) place the sample 12 inthe instrument 14, where the sample 12 is picked off the conveyer 19 andplaced into the instrument 14 by the dedicated local mover 26. Thesynchronization of the central movement action of the conveyer 19 withthe local movers 26 provides for loading and unloading of the samples 12in parallel, which helps to increase the overall loading/unloadingefficiency of the robotic system 10. Accordingly, the overall sample 12throughput of the robotic system 10 can be increased over othernon-parallel systems by the provision of parallel operation, due to“distributed motion”, between the central mover function of the conveyer19 and the local movers 26 associated with dedicated process instruments14.

Referring to FIG. 3, a material processing system embodiment of therobotic system 10 is shown. Objects or samples (not shown for clarity)are moved between the processing instruments 14. Each processinginstrument 14 has the local object mover 26 which can pick up objectsfrom respective access nests 30 of the processing instruments 14, andmove the objects to the central conveyer 19 onto a respective centralnest 32. The local movers 26 can also pick up objects from central nests32 of the central conveyer 19 and place the objects into the accessnests 30.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the central conveyer 19 is capable ofbi-directional motion, and has one or more central access nests 32 intowhich the objects may be placed. The processing instruments 14 arearranged on either side of the central conveyer 19 so that eachprocessing instrument's 14 local mover 26 has access to a singlerespective central mover access nest 32. The processing instrument 14positions are staggered (also known as fixed pitch) or otherwisearranged so that all processing instrument 14 movers 26 maysimultaneously access their central mover access nests 32. Therefore,the spacing between the modules 16 (and associated dedicated movers 26and instruments 14 along the length of the central conveyer 19 is doneat a fixed pitch, such that the individual movers 26 can simultaneouslypick up and drop their respective samples 12 between their respectivenest 32 of the conveyer 19 and the respective nest 30 of the instrument14. It is recognised that the fixed pitch is such that there is nointerference in motion between the adjacent movers 26 of the roboticsystem 10.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 presents a time-line sequence 34 of the stepsrequired to move the object (sample 12 of FIG. 1) from the access nest30 of one processing instrument 14 (for example instrument 2) to theaccess nest 30 of another processing instrument 14 (for exampleinstrument 4). A source sequence 36 (for instrument 2) has therespective local object mover 26 perform an initial move (1M to theprocessing instrument 14 access nest 30 and picks up (PU) the object tobe moved. The local mover 26 (of instrument 2) then moves to just aboveits respective central conveyer 19 access nest 32 by move M. At thispoint, the central conveyance (CC) sequence 38 must be stopped (denotedby Wait 40) while the local mover 26 of instrument 2 puts down (PD) theobject in the adjacent access nest 32. The conveyer 19 now moves rapidlyto position (denoted by CCM in sequence 38) the object in the nest 32 atthe position of the destination local mover's 26 access nest 32,adjacent to instrument 4. At this point the conveyer 19 must stop (Wait43) to allow the destination local mover 26 of instrument 4 to Pick Up(PU) the object from its access nest 32 for sequence 44. The destinationlocal mover 26 may then carry on in the sequence 44 to place the objectin the destination processing instrument's 14 access nest 30 while theconveyer 19 is free to be used for other purposes.

Similarly, referring to FIG. 5 shows a timeline sequence 46 for motionof multiple objects between several processing instruments 14. i.emovement according to simultaneous local sequences 57, 59, 52 inconjunction with central sequence 54 of the conveyer 19. Note that theonly time that the central conveyer 19 is not able to move is when it iswaiting for Pick Up or Put Down operations, as indicated by the circledregions 56 of the coordinated sequence 46. Accordingly, the system 10can move multiple samples 12 between the individual instruments 14 andcentral conveyer 19. The system 10 (see FIG. 2) during operation allowsfor an overlapping architecture, whereby the different local movers 26,either dedicated to each module 16 or located on the central conveyer19, are able to simultaneously coordinate their movements with oneanother and with the operation of the central conveyer 19, as furtherdescribed below with regard to FIGS. 12 and 19. In effect, ahierarchical structure of the robotic system 10 is enabled, with thecentral conveyer 19 considered the root mover and the associated localmovers 26 as a series of sub-mover systems. Each of the movers 26 caninteract simultaneously with the central mover or conveyer 19, therebyfacilitating parallel processing of the samples 12 by the instruments14, as the samples 12 move from one location to any other location ofthe backbone 18, such as in a bi-directional and somewhat randomfashion.

For example, it should be noted that the robotic system 10 canfacilitate many individual component motions of the local movers 26 andthe central conveyer 19 to occur at the same time. For example, the PickUp (PU) and Put Down (PD) operations clearly may overlap, and theInitial Move (M, instrument 14 access nest 30 Pick Up (PU) and localmover 26 Move (M) operations can occur simultaneously with the operationof the central conveyer 19.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, another variation of the central conveyer 19is to allow “On-Belt Processing” operations to be performed on thesamples 12 while still on the conveyer 19. On-belt processing occurswhen an active operation is applied to a plate 41, such as a microtitration plate or other container, without moving the plate 41 from thebelt 42 of the conveyer 19. In a preferred embodiment, the instrument 47of the module 16 (not shown for clarity) applying the operation normallymaintains a position clear of any plate 41 moving on the belt 42, bymaintaining a safe height determined by the distance 43 between thelowest hanging physical feature of the instrument 47, and the heightassumed by the tallest plate 41 on the belt 42. It is understood theinstrument 47 can be manoeuvred potentially by a local mover 26.

Under such an embodiment, it may or may not be necessary to provideadditional fixturing to the plate 41 once it is positioned at the activelocation adjacent to the instrument 47, depending upon the type ofoperation being conducted. An example of a low-accuracy applicationcould be provided by a bar code reader 45, where the bar code reader 45reads a barcode applied to any of the four sides of the plate 41. Insuch a case, the normal positional accuracy and repeatability of thebelt 42 can be sufficient to allow relatively error-free operationwithout external aids. It is recognised that the reader 45 and theinstrument 47 can be associated with separate modules 16 (see FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 8, an example of a higher precision application couldbe provided by a 384-tip dispensing head instrument 47 that requires afirm fixturing of the plate 41 so as to not allow the tips of theinstrument 47 to collide with the plate 41 due to an inaccurate locationof the individual wells of the plate 41 with respect to the headinstrument 47. In such a case, a retractable fixture mechanism 48 isused to secure the position of the plate 41 in three coordinate axes 50while the dispensing head of the instrument 47 operates on the plate 41.It is recognised that the fixture mechanism 48 and the head instrument47 are associated with the same module on the same side of the conveyer19 or associated separately with respective opposing modules on eitherside of the conveyer 19 (see FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 9, in another high-precision example, a plate delidder49 removes and replaces lids 51 on the plates 41, which are then carriedby the belt 42 to the next active location. In such a case, theretractable fixtures 48 secure the location of the plate 41 so that theprecise operation of lid 51 replacement by the delidder 49 can beconducted with minimal risk of failure, due to the potential collisionof the plate lid 51 and the plate 41 through a misalignment of the lid51 and the plate 41. This misalignment can be caused by the normalpositional repeatability of the belt 42 being greater than the tolerancebetween the lid 51 and plate 41 sizes. Further, it is recognised thedelidder 49, fixture mechanism 48, and head instrument 47 can all beassociated with the same or opposing modules, as desired. In addition,it is recognised the plate 41 is brought to the active location by thesystem 10, whereupon the belt 42 stops, and the action is conducted bythe appropriate instruments 47. A controlling software of the system 10(for example associated with a controller of the central backbone 18 cangovern the actions of the individual components (47, 48, 49), associatedwith the respective modules 16, such that the belt 42 is in use whilethe active operation is being conducted, and it is not permitted toperform any motion until the operation is signalled as completed. It isrecognised that communication between components 47, 48, 49 and thecontroller can be accommodated by direct connections between the modules16 and the backbone 18 through respective connection interfaces, asfurther described below.

Referring to FIG. 10, the central backbone 18 (also referred to as alinear plate transport) can consist of, for example such as but notlimited to, three separate components 60 with two optional components68, 70. The components 60 include a Motor Section 66, an 800 mm InsertSection 68, and an 1200 mm Insert Section 70, and the Idler Section 62.The Idler Section 62 has a plate catcher 72 option, or a plate chute 74option. It should be noted that the options 72, 74 can be add-onfeatures and may not be required for operation of the backbone 18containing the components 60. The backbone 18 can also be modular andextensible due to conveyer connection interfaces 210 for operationallyinterconnecting the components 66, 68, 70, 62 with one another. Theinterfaces 210 can accommodate such as but not limited to electrical,mechanical, and resource continuity between the components 62, 66, 68,70 when coupled to one another.

Referring again to FIG. 10, the plate chute 74 is a device used todispose of unwanted plates 41 directly from the conveyer 19. The chute74 attaches to an idler end 76 of the conveyer 19, as seen in by meansof the attachment tabs 78 seen in FIG. 11. The chute 74 is curved sothat plates 41 can easily slide into a disposal bin 79 located belowwhile inhibiting the plate's 41 contents to become airborne. The chute74 has a rim 80 about its lower edge, so that a cover 82 attached to thedisposal bin 79 can be affixed to the rim 80 without sliding off. Thecover 82 is used to contain splashes from the waste plates 41 droppinginto the disposal bin 79.

Referring to FIG. 12, a mover control configuration 90 for a laboratoryembodiment of the automation system 10 (see FIG. 1) has, such as but notlimited to, two mover controllers 92 “Master Controller Unit” and 94“Slave Controller Unit”, which can be largely identical devices. Forexample, the primary difference of the controllers 92, 94 is a settingof an “Address Selector Switch” 96, 98 attached to each controller 92,94. The Master Controller 92 has the selector 96 set to a predeterminedcode to signify the master designation (for example the numeral “0”).Accordingly, there may then be one or more slave controllers 94 whichhave unique, non-zero numerals selected as their address switches 98 tosignify slave designations (for example the numerals “1”, “2”, etc. . .. ). It is recognised that some system 10 arrangements can have no slavecontrollers 94, thereby using only a single controller 92.

Referring again to FIG. 12, each controller 92, 94 may control up to afixed number of local mover devices (LMs) 26 through individual ports100. A first mover control port 102 on the master controller 92typically controls the central conveyer 19 (otherwise known as thelinear plate transporter or LPT). Further, the overall operation of therobotic system 10 (see FIG. 1) by the mover control configuration 90 ismonitored by a Host Computer 104, which communicates with the variouscontrollers 92, 94 via a Local Network 106. This Local Network 106, suchas but not limited to a standard 10BaseT ethernet network, is used forcontrolling the system 10. For example, there may be no directconnection between the Local Network 106 and any external network 108,such as but not limited to the Internet.

Referring again to FIG. 12, it is understood that a plurality of hostcomputers 104 could be monitored by a central control system 110connected to the external network 108. The Host Computer 104 may beconfigured with two separate network interfaces, namely 112 and 115, tothe external 108 and local 106 networks respectively, should it bedesired that the host computer 104 be able to communicate with otherhost computers (not shown), possibly over a building intranet or theInternet. This separation of the Local network 106 and the ExternalNetwork 108 can be beneficial in order to hinder interference of networktraffic on the External Network with the operation of each independentrobotic system 10. Further, the separation of the networks 106, 108 alsohinders interference of traffic from each of the robotic systems 10interfering with communications on the External network 108. It isunderstood that each of the host computers 104 could be responsible formonitoring respective robotic systems 10.

Referring again to FIG. 12, the controllers 92, 94 can be smallstand-alone computers with the following equipment, such as but notlimited to: a) local storage 113 for storing operating software requiredfor the controller's 92, 94 operation; b) an embedded computer 114 withadequate memory and processing speed for running the embedded software;c) a network communications device 116 for communicating with the hostcomputer 104 and with other controllers 92, 94 over the Local Network106; d) a power supply 118 for providing power to the various LocalMovers 26 and Central Conveyer 19 attached to the controller 92, 94; e)a power switch disconnect 120 for allowing the mover power supplies 118to be switched on and off (either in whole or in part) to enable anddisable the various attached movers 26 together and/or separately; e)individual communication signalling devices 122 for sending commands toa plurality of servo motor sets (not shown), each set operating the axesof each of the local movers 26 and/or the conveyer 19 (as a whole or ascomponents 22, 24—see FIG. 2) attached to the respective controller 92,94; and f) a digital reader 124 for sensing the numeral selected on theaddress selector switches 96, 98. The digital readers 124 help theembedded software of the controllers 92, 94 to determine if thecontroller 92, 94 is a Master Controller or if it is a slave controller,and to determine which address should be used for network communicationto the host computer 104 through the communications device 116. Forexample, the address selector switch 96, 98 may be set to one of 16possible values, 0 to 15. It should be noted that the communicationdevices 122 are preferably individually linked to the respective localmovers 26 and/or conveyer 19.

Referring again to FIG. 12, the above presented hierarchy of control ofthe robotic system 10 can have several advantages. For example thishierarchy of control can be between the central computer system 110,host computer 104, the master and slave control units 92, 94, and thelocal control and signalling units 122. Since each mover 26 has its owncommunication device 122 connecting it to its respective controller 92,94, and to its respective controlling process on its respectivecontroller 92, 94. Therefore, operation of one mover 26 may not affector interfere with operations of any other controllers 92, 94 and theirassociated controlling processes. This use of respective communicationdevices 122 and separate controlling processes can also help accommodatemodular engagement and disengagement of the respective modules 16 (seeFIG. 1), as further explained below. The number of movers 26 that can beattached to one controller 92, 94 is set to a predefined number, forexample four, to help manage the cost and complexity of the controller's92, 94 circuitry. The limited number of local movers 26 per controller92, 94 also helps to provide for the controller's 92, 94 embeddedcomputer 114 having adequate processing power to control each mover 26,and by executing its individual control process. For example, it can becritical in some robotic system 10 arrangements that each mover 26 begiven sufficient attention by the embedded computer 114, duringoperation of the appropriate time line sequencing 34, 46 (for examplesee FIGS. 4 and 5), or else time-critical events like initiating themotions of multiple axes of the movers 26 and/or conveyers 19 can failto occur at the right moment, thereby potentially causing undesirablecollisions.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 19, the operation of the set of movercontrollers 92, 94 is controlled by a hierarchy of parallel controlprocesses (programs) 200, which reside partially on the Host Computer104 and partially on the Master Controller 92, and partially on eachSlave Controller 94. FIG. 19 shows the hierarchy of control programs200.

Referring again to FIG. 19, each controller 92, 94 (including the MasterController) has a Local Administration Daemon 202 which providescontroller status information services to other processes by means ofthe controller's network interface 102. The Local Administration Daemon202 is also responsible for starting up and shutting down Mover Daemons204, which control the various local movers 26 and central conveyer 19.Each attached mover 26 is controlled by its own dedicated process calledthe Mover Daemon 204. The Mover Daemons 204 provide motion controlservices to the Administration Daemons 202 and to laboratory automationapplications 207 on the host computer 104. The automation application207 is used to operate the modular robotic system 10 (see FIG. 1). Inaddition to the Administration Daemon 202 and the set of Mover Daemons204, the Master Controller 92 has a Master Administration Daemon 203process that provides entire system 200 start-up and shut down services,emergency stop control services, and whole system 200 monitoringservices to processes on the Host Computer 104. A Control Panel program208 on the Host Computer 104 allows the user to start up, shut down andmonitor the system 200 and therefore the operation of the robotic system10.

It is noted that the purpose of each process 202, 203, 204 on eachcontroller 92, 94 can be well-defined and of very limited scope; wherebyeach process 202, 203, 204 has a sharp, or well-defined interface. Thiswell defined interface allows for partitioning of the various functionalresponsibilities of the system 200, such that the processes 202, 204,206 have distinct yet compatible controlling operations. For example,the intent of this arrangement is to help ensure that all time-criticaltasks of the robotic system 10 can be performed in a timely fashion,mainly independent of the operation of the Host Computer 104. Thus,software or hardware malfunction or user errors on the Host Computer 104may not affect the safe and timely operation of the embedded computers114 on the Controllers 92, 94. Another potential benefit of having amultiplicity of well-defined control processes or daemons 202, 203, 204is that the complexity of each control process can be kept to amanageable level, helping to simplify software maintenance.

Referring again to FIGS. 12 and 19, the central conveyer 19 andmultiplicity of movers 26 are controlled via the mover control hierarchy90 or network. Each controller 92, 94 can communicate on an Ethernetprotocol, and controls a multiplicity of movers 26, with for example alimit of 4 movers 26 per controller 92, 94. Each robotic system 10 canbe outfitted with the “master” controller 92 and several “slave”controllers 94. Each of the controllers 92, 94 can have safety circuitryfor Emergency stop control.

Referring to FIG. 13, the modular architecture of the robotic system 10can also accommodate the use of a central mover 120 affixed on theconveyer 19. The central mover 120 can have the ability to accept anddeliver the sample(s) 12 directly between the process instruments 14.The design of this Track mover type can be modular as well, and canallow the modular extension of the robotic system 10, as furtherdiscussed below. This type of central mover 120 can be of interest whenless automation friendly instrumentation has to be accessed, or theloading areas of the instruments 14 are restricted. The method steps forprocessing the samples using the central mover 120 can be broken into:a) random access sample 12 from a selected processing instrument 14 bythe central mover 120; b) move central mover 120 between the modules 16by the conveyer 19; c) load the sample 12 from the central mover 120 tothe process instrument 14 directly; or load by the central mover 120 thelocal mover 26, if present, which then moves the sample 12 into thededicated instrument 14. It should be noted in this embodiment that thecentral mover 120 is not dedicated to any one of the modules 16, ratherit is shared there-between. Further, it is recognised that a connectioninterface (not shown) between the respective controller 92, 94 and thecentral mover 120 should accommodate the linear displacement potentialof the conveyer 19, such that required operating resources (power,signalling, actuation fluid, etc. . . . ) of the central mover 120remains uninterrupted for the duration of intended operation of thecentral mover 120.

Referring to FIG. 14, a further embodiment of the central mover 121 isshown. One potential solution to processing bottlenecks associated withhandling single plates 41 (see FIG. 6), with single articulated robotsin laboratory automation systems 10, is to allow the robotic device suchas the central mover 121 to carry more than one plate 41 (or othercontainer) at a time and deposit this batch of plates 41 at individualinstrument stations 14, 15. In such a system, the robotic device 121 cancarry a number of plates 41 (such as but not limited up to 20 standardformat plates 41 with a 3 kg payload) inside a stacking device 123designed to nest into stationary stacking units 126 or docking stations.The stacking units 126 associated with respective modules 16 can be usedto de-stack the individual plates 41 inside the stacking device 123, andthen insert the individually selected plates 41 into the adjacentinstrument 14, 15. After processing of the selected plate 41 by therespective instrument 14, 15, the processed plates 41 can then bere-stacked into their original stacking device 123 for subsequentretrieval by the central mover 121, or the processed plates 41 could bere-stacked into a different stacking device 127 with the similarphysical characteristics to that of the original stacking device 123.Preferably, the central mover 120 operates by releasing the stackingdevice 123 at the appropriate module 16, so that the plate 41 selection,processing and re-stacking procedure can occur while the central mover121 is moving another stacking device 123 full of plates 41 retrievedfrom a different module 16. The subsequent concurrent processing ofstacking devices 123 can help provide for increased throughput and canbe applicable for a range of applications, such as but not limited todrug screening.

Referring again to FIG. 14, central mover 121 uses a gripper 128 tocarry the stacking device 123 from one arbitrary instrument 14 locationto another instrument 15, along the conveyer 19. The gripper 128 can bedesigned to maintain a safe grasp of the stacking device 123, even whenair pressure to the gripper 128 is lost due to failure, so as to helpprevent dropping of the plate stack and the subsequent damage that couldbe caused by such a failure. The central mover 121 can be, for example,a 5 or 6 degree of freedom device affixed to the linear track conveyer19. Preferably, the conveyer 19 can maintain a level configuration ofthe individual plates 41, when containing fluid samples, and can providerandom orientation to place the stacking device 123 within the randomlypositioned stacking units 126 associated with the modules 16. Forexample, there can be one of the stacking units 126 beside every activeinstrument 14, 15, wherein the purpose of the stacking units 126 is tomove individual plates 41 from the deposited stacking device 123 to theadjacent instrument 14, 15 for processing. The stacking unit 126 canalso be responsible for re-stacking the processed plates 41 into theoriginal stacking device 123, or the different one 127, depending uponthe assay. Optionally, the stacking unit 126 could move the processedplates 41 from the other stacking device 127 into the first stackingunit 123, thereby helping to preserve the order of the plates 41 withinthe stack.

Referring to FIG. 15, the Modules 16 of the robotic system 10 can haverollers 130 to provide mobility to and from the central backbone 18, asindicated by arrow 132. The rollers 130 can facilitate the assembly,reconfiguration and attachment of the Modules 16 to the backbone 18.Further, it is recognised that other displacement mechanisms could beused, such as but not limited to wheels, castors, and other sliderarrangements as is known in the art.

Referring to FIG. 16, the Modules 16 are releasably connected with thebackbone 18 via a docking station or port 134. The docking port 134operates as a universal connector interface 138 to allow for readyconnection and disconnection of the Modules 16 from the backbone 18. Theinterface 18 is comprised of the docking port attached to the backbone18 for each individual module 16, and respective module connectors 136.The cooperation of the respective ports 134 and connectors 136 for eachmodule 16 provides for ready exchange and reconfiguration of the roboticsystem 10, as required by the process procedure of the samples 12. Theinterface 138 comprises a mechanical alignment device 140 between thebackbone 18 and the module 16, an electrical connection 142, a pneumaticconnection 144, and support of other supply resources 146 such as butnot limited to air, water, and CO2. The design of the backbone 18 canalso accept rack-mounted electronic equipment 148 on either end.Accordingly, the Modules 16 are hot-pluggable by means of the interface138 to allow process instruments 14 to be connected or disconnectedwhile the system 10 is running, whereby the individual interfaces 138 ofthe modules 16 provides for independent connection and disconnectionbetween the modules 16 while the system 10 is in operation.

In an alternative embodiment, the connector interface 138 can include amanual connection of cables 141 coupled to the backbone 18, forattaching to the module connectors 136. Various cables 141 can becollected in a cable tray 143 located down the spine of the backbone 18.The cables 141 can include connections for electrical, pneumatic, andother desired supply resources 146. For example, the backbone connectoris the set of cables 141 and the module connector is the receptor 136adapted to connect with the cables 141. Otherwise, the module connectoris the set of cables 141 and the backbone connector is the receptor 136adapted to connect with the cables 141. The modules 16 can also besecured in position relative to the backbone 18 by fixed fasteners 147,such as but not limited to bolts.

Furthermore, referring to FIG. 12, the controllers 92, 94 and associatedcontrolling software have the ability to recognise when old modules areremoved 16 and new modules 16 are added to the backbone 18. For example,each module 16 type with respective instruments 14 can have uniqueidentifiers that are communicated to the controllers 92, 94 to informthem of which modules 16 are either in or out of service in regards tothe respective backbone 18 of the system 10.

Referring to FIG. 17, a variation of the above-described robotic system10 is a series of frames 150 of “Modular tables”; whereby the assemblyof Modular Tables represents a composite modular frame structure 152that forms a continuous table surface when mounted to the backbone 18(FIG. 4). The Modular Table frames 150 have both features of levelingfeet 156 and rollers 130. If the system 10 has to be reconfigured, thefeet 156 can be screwed into the table frame 150 so that the table restson the rollers 130 and can be moved away from or towards the backbone18. It should be noted the portability of the table frames 150 providesa series of self-contained modules 16, thus allowing the use of themodules 16 in either stand-alone or in the interconnected mode with thebackbone 18, if desired.

Referring again to FIG. 17, the individual modular table frames 150 arecomprised of several independent table modules 16 that can be combinedinto many different configurations or can be used on their own. Inaddition to the ability to configure groupings of the table frames 150to suit an application, there are many other features and options thatadd to the overall flexibility and configurability of the robotic system10. For example, reconfiguration of the table frame 150 groupings,representing an assembly of modules 16, is possible because each module16 is preferably completely self-supporting and structurally independentfrom those around it. Therefore, as the application for the roboticsystem 10 changes, each module 16 can be moved in relation to thebackbone 18 to reconfigure the overall table structure 152. For example,the frame 150 of each module 16 can be attached to other modules 16 tomake a smaller mini-system 10, or can be completely removed and used asa stand-alone workcell.

Referring again to FIG. 17, each module 16 also has the option ofsinking its respective tabletop surface 20 up to for example 6″ asindicated by arrow 158. This allows the instruments 14 and movers 26 tobe positioned at an optimum height with respect to the conveyer 19, aswell as to provide for instruments 14 with varying heights of loadingnests 30.

Referring again to FIG. 17, the power distribution of the robotic system10 has also been designed in a modular fashion. For example, each tablemodule 16 contains a pre-wired power bar, with a standard power input160 on one end and an output 162 on the other, consequently providingfor each module 16 to be “daisy-chained” to the adjacent module 16 toform a single circuit. Another option is that each module 16 could berouted by a cable 165 back to a main supply 166 on the backbone 18 so asto remain as an independent circuit. Therefore, as power requirementschange for the system 10, the power distribution for the modules can bere-configured to accommodate.

Referring again to FIG. 17, another feature of the frame 150 of themodules 16 is the ability to remove a lower shelf 170 and support bracefrom underneath the module 16. This removal allows an end user to makeroom for larger pieces of equipment that can sit under the table 20, orprovide a clear area to wheel-in such things as waste and reagentcontainers. Further note, each end of the backbone 18 has rack mountspacing so that the rack mount equipment 148 can be secured within therobotic system 10. Referring again to FIG. 17, adjustable shims 180 canbe situated between the instruments 14 and the table surface 20 to helpprovide a common datum for transfer of the samples 12 between theconveyer 19 and the modules 16 by the mover 26.

Referring to FIG. 18, the instrument 14 (shown in ghosted view forclarity) is positioned on the table 20 of the module 16 by shims 180.One embodiment of the shims 180 is a series of adjustable bolts 181securable in respective oversized holes 182 (i.e. the diameter of thebolt 181 is smaller than the diameter of the hole 182. Accordingly, eachof the bolts can be secured in a six degree of freedom coordinate system184, by respective nuts (not show for clarity). Accordingly, the shims180 are situated in a triangular orientation such that the instrument 14can be adjusted in position in relation to the table 20. Referring againto FIG. 17, the position of the instrument 14 can be calibrated inrespect to the fixed position of the module 16, movers 26, and conveyer19 when the modules 16 are releasably secured to the backbone 18.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 20, in operation of the robotic system 10, themotion between the instruments 14 can be done in three separate phasesonce the conveyer 19 is stopped 290, namely:

-   -   (i) Place 300 the sample 12 on the conveyer 19 by the local        mover 26, wherein the sample 12 is picked out of the instrument        14 and placed on to the conveyer 19;    -   (ii) Convey 302 the sample 12 to the next adjacent module 16,        wherein the conveyer 19 moves one or more samples 12 from one        set of modules 16 to another set of modules 16 for further pick        up and processing; and    -   (iii) Place 304 sample 12 in the next instrument 14, wherein the        sample 12 is picked off the conveyer 19 and placed into the        local instrument 14 by the local mover 26.        Further, it is recognised the coordination between local mover        26 movement and the conveyer 19 movement can be such that,        displacement of the sample 12 between the instrument 14 and the        conveyer 19 by the mover 26 can be accomplished while the        conveyer 19 is in motion. The mover 26 should be clear of the        nest 32 on the conveyer 19 before motion of the conveyer 19 can        either start or stop. therefore, the conveyer 19 is free to move        once the movers 26 are clear of the conveyer 19 with associated        samples 12.

The operation of the system 10 can also include decisions such as is thepresent processing of sample 12 set complete 306, and if so then end 308the processing. Otherwise, the process can repeat at step 290. Formultiple instruments 14, it is recognised that phases (i) and (in) canbe performed simultaneously. It is further recognised that the conveyer19 does not move unless there is at least one sample 12 on it that hasbeen scheduled for further processing by subsequent instruments 14, andthat the conveyer 19 can be moved bi-directionally to facilitatetransport of the samples 12 where needed It is further recognised thatmultiple samples 12 can be placed on the conveyer 19 and transportedsimultaneously to their next respective instrument 14.

Referring to FIG. 21, a further embodiment of the system 10 can includemultiple systems 10 operated in a coordinated manner, such that itcreates a higher level processing system 400. For example, the systems10 can be joined together with software and sample 12 transfers 402, butnot physically coupled together. One embodiment is that the transfermechanism 402 of samples 12 between the systems 10 can be with people,whereby the control architecture shown in FIG. 19 can direct people toshuttle the samples 12 between the systems 10 in a planned manner. This“man-in-the-loop” concept can use the mover control hierarchy 90 toactually command or otherwise prompt the people to move the samples 12at the appropriate time between the systems 10. It is recognised thatthe host computer 104 (see FIG. 12) and/or the central control system110 could coordinate the operation of the transfer mechanism 402. Forexample, an instrument server (not shown) could give instructions to thepeople, thereby providing the transfer mechanism 402.

Referring again to FIG. 21, the multiple systems 10 could be controlledvia a higher level database 406, such as but not limited to a LIMS (labinformation management system) as is known in the art. The database 406could be operated by the host computer 104 and/or the central controlsystem 110.

Further, is also envisioned that automatic, mobile or stationary movingdevices could also serve as the transfer mechanism 402 to couple themultiple systems 10 together. For example, robots (not shown) could movethe samples 12 between the systems 10, either such as but not limited toa mobile robot, or fixed robot arms.

Other unique features of the robotic system 10 can include: modules 16being offered in different sizes to increase the number of possibleconfigurations and maximize the system 10 flexibility, the ability tobreak the frame 150 down into pieces that can be packed flat on a skid;and cladding 172 for the ends of the frames 150. According to anotherfeature, multiple discrete systems 10 can be used to create ahigher-level system. This feature allows the communication andinteraction of a group of related process steps, such as in situationswhere the automated process may be a sequence of steps in a complexmethod, while individual steps of such a method are executed on discretesystems. The system 10 can be applied to applications such as but notlimited to Drug Discovery, Genomics and Proteomics, combi-chem,ADME/Tox, and lab processing.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.

1. An automated robotic system having a modular architecture, the systemcomprising: a) a backbone having a plurality of backbone connectors; b)a module having a module connector for releasably coupling with arespective one of the backbone connectors; c) a bi-directional motiondevice connected to the backbone, the motion device for presenting anobject adjacent to the module when the module is coupled to thebackbone; d) a connection interface formable by coupling the backboneand module connectors, the connection interface for providing anoperational coupling between the backbone and the module when adjacentthereto; wherein the connection interface provides a repeatableconnection and disconnection capability between the backbone and themodule for ready reconfiguration of the modular architecture.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the connection interface when formed providesan operational interface between the backbone and the module, theoperational interface selected from the group comprising; a mechanicalalignment device, an electrical connection, a pneumatic connection, anda supply resource connection.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thebackbone connector is a first docking connector and the module connectoris a second docking connector.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein thebackbone connector is a set of cables and the module connector is areceptor adapted to connect with the cables.
 5. The system of claim 2,wherein the module connector is a set of cables and the backboneconnector is a receptor adapted to connect with the cables.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of the modules havingrespective module connectors, the plurality of modules coupled along thebackbone.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the motion device is acentral linear object transport, the transport adapted to be used inconjunction with a plurality of local movers for transferring thetransported objects from the transport to the modules.
 8. The system ofclaim 7 further comprising a process instrument mounted on each of themodules.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the local movers are mountedon the modules as a plurality of respective dedicated movers for each ofthe instruments, the dedicated movers for transferring the transportedobjects from the transport to their respective instrument.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the local movers are mounted on the transportas central movers, the central movers for transferring transportedobjects between process instruments.
 11. The system of claim 8 furthercomprising a plurality of movers mounted on the modules, the modulesmounted along the length of the central transport in a fixed pitcharrangement, the fixed pitch arrangement for inhibiting interferencebetween adjacent movers when transferring a respective one of theobjects by each of the movers between the central transport and therespective instrument.
 12. The system of claim 8 further comprising aplurality of movers mounted on the central transport, the movers mountedalong the length of the central transport in a fixed pitch arrangement,the fixed pitch arrangement for inhibiting interference between adjacentmovers when transferring a respective one of the objects by each of themovers between the central transport and the respective instrument. 13.The system of claim 6, wherein the arrangement of the modules provides aone-sided modular architecture.
 14. The system of claim 6, wherein thearrangement of the modules provides a two-sided modular architecturewith opposing modules on either side of the backbone.
 15. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the motion device is an articulated robot.
 16. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein the motion device is a robot mounted on alinear track
 17. The system of claim 1 further comprising a rackmounting connected to at least one end of the backbone, the rackmounting for coupling electronic equipment to the backbone.
 18. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the motion device is adapted to transport labcontainers.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing ofsamples in the lab containers is performed directly on the motiondevice.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing of thesamples is selected from the group comprising; delidding, barcodereading, and dispensing liquids.
 21. The system of claim 18 furthercomprising a stacking device for containing a plurality of thecontainers in a selected order.
 22. The system of claim 21 furthercomprising a gripper attached to a mover for maintaining a grasp of thestacking device.
 23. The system of claim 20 further comprising aplurality of the modules having respective module connectors, theplurality of modules coupled along the backbone to respective backboneconnectors.
 24. The system of claim 23 further comprising a processinstrument mounted on each of the modules.
 25. The system of claim 24further comprising individual local stacking units beside each of theinstruments, the stacking units to provide destacking and restacking ofthe containers between the respective instrument and the stacking devicetransported by the motion device.
 26. The system of claim 25, whereineach of the stacking units contains an empty, stationary stack so thatthe containers, once processed by the respective instrument, can bestacked into the empty stack, and then subsequently re-stacked into theoriginal stacking device so that the order of the containers ispreserved.
 27. The system of claim 1 further comprising adjustable shimsconnected to a table surface of the module, the adjustable shims forbringing instruments to a common datum for loading.
 28. The system ofclaim 1 for processing of the objects in applications selected from thegroup comprising; drug discovery, genomics, proteomics, combi-chem,ADME/Tox, and lab processing.
 29. The system of claim 1, wherein themodule further comprises a table with a support structure.
 30. Thesystem of claim 29, wherein the support structure is a self-containedstructure capable of being used as a stand-alone or interconnectedmodular unit.
 31. The system of claim 29 further comprising a table topof the table that can be lowered to a variety of selected heights. 32.The system of claim 29, wherein the module has a modular electricalpower supply connection.
 33. The system of claim 29, wherein the modulehas a bottom shelf that can be removed to accommodate storage under thetable.
 34. The system of claim 29, wherein the support structure can bedisassembled and flat-packed.
 35. The system of claim 29, wherein themodule further comprises wheels and feet to allow both transport andlevelling of the table on a supporting surface.
 36. The system of claim32, wherein the module further has a self-contained processing power andintelligence.
 37. The system of claim 29, wherein the connectioninterface provides a hot-pluggability feature, such that an instrumentassociated with the module can be connected and disconnected while thesystem is running.
 38. The system of claim 1, wherein the connectioninterface is a universal interface.
 39. The system of claim 1, whereinthe backbone is modular, such that the backbone further comprises aplurality of components, each of the components having a motion deviceconnection interface for operationally coupling each of the componentsto form the backbone.
 40. The system of claim 1 further comprising aplurality of controllers monitored by a host computer, the controllersfor monitoring the operation of a series of local movers and the motiondevice.
 41. The system of claim 40, wherein the controllers and the hostcomputer form a central mover network, the central mover network forcoordinating the simultaneous operation of the local movers and thecentral motion device.
 42. The system of claim 41, wherein thecontrollers include a master controller and a plurality of slavecontrollers.
 43. The system of claim 42, wherein each of the slavecontrollers have safety circuitry for emergency stop control.
 44. Thesystem of claim 40, wherein each of the controllers communicates onEthernet protocol.
 45. The system of claim 40, wherein each controlleris adapted to control a predefined number of local movers.
 46. A methodof processing objects using a bilateral architecture, the methodcomprising the steps of: a) arranging a plurality of instruments arounda bi-directional conveyance device, the instruments spaced at fixedpitch intervals along the conveyance device; b) assigning dedicatedmovers to each of the instruments, the dedicated movers for loading andunloading of the objects to and from the instruments and the conveyancedevice; and c) controlling the operation of the conveyance device tohave an interrupted motion, the interrupted motion for coordinating theloading and unloading of the objects; wherein the dedicated movers arepositioned such that adjacent movers operate independently of oneanother.
 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the movement of the objectsbetween the instruments further comprises the steps of: a) transferringone of the objects from a selected one of the instruments to theconveyance device; b) conveying the transferred objects by theconveyance device to a subsequent one of the instruments; c) stoppingthe transport of the conveyance device; and d) transferring another ofthe objects from the conveyance to the subsequent instrument.
 48. Themethod of claim 47, wherein the conveyance device does not move unlessthere is at least one object on the device.
 49. The method of claim 48,wherein for multiple instruments and objects, steps (a) and (d) areperformed simultaneously.
 50. The method of claim 49, wherein formultiple objects are in motion at the same time on the conveyancedevice.
 51. The method of claim 47, wherein the displacement of theobject between the conveyance device and the instrument by a dedicatedmover is done simultaneously with movement of the conveyance device, themovement of the conveyance device being interrupted when the object isexchanged between the mover and the conveyance device.